1st resident files for city council seat

If elected to the Basehor City Council, Terry Hill will bring many aspects of experience with him -- as a manager, land developer and a people person.

A retired human resources director for Roberts Dairy, Hill is embarking on his second career -- a director of information technology for CompResults, a part of the St. Luke's Hospital system.

With a master's degree in management from Baker University, Hill said he started as a distribution manager at Roberts Dairy and his working career has been in operations management. This multifaceted background is something he feels would lend itself well to the council.

"I consider myself a good manager, a good listener and someone who can make good decisions," he said.

Hill, 58, was the first candidate to file for one of three city council seats up for grabs currently held by council members John Bonee, Iris Dysart and Bill Hooker. Dysart said she plans run for the council again, but has not filed yet. Bonee and Hooker said they are opting out. One other resident, Jason Gorup, who plans a funeral home in Basehor, also has filed. The elections will be held April 3 and the filing deadline is noon Tuesday, Jan. 23.

An area resident since 1966, Hill said he decided to file because of encouragement from friend and current city council member, Terry Thomas, and his recent experience with land development.

"In the last two years, I did a little bit of land development west of the city and got involved in the complexity of that," he said. "It really opened my eyes that as Basehor grows, we need people that will work really hard to make the best decisions. Having taken from the community all these years, I decided it was time to give something back."

As a longtime resident, he said he's watched the city grow and realizes that Basehor no longer is a static community. Managing the continued growth correctly is something he said will be on his agenda.

"The goal is to make sure we listen to the community and make the right decision," he said. "If I'm able to serve on the council, I think I would leave it better than I found it."